This invention relates to rearview mirror assemblies for vehicles and, more particularly, to a rearview mirror case assembly which provides lights for illuminating selected portions of the vehicle interior in which the assembly is mounted or displays various types of information and includes controls mounted within the assembly for providing such information.
Various types of rearview mirror assemblies including lights or information providing units therein have been used in the past. One such structure includes a housing secured to the back of a rearview mirror case and having a pair of light assemblies mounted on the housing for insertion into the case through openings in the case back such that light is directed downwardly of the assembly from the spaced lights. The lighting provided was appropriate for low level interior courtesy lighting for the front passenger area of a vehicle. The housing of this prior mirror assembly wrapped around the case back to the bottom of the case and was, in part, visible by the driver of the vehicle. Moreover, adaptability of this assembly to provide various types of lights or support for other controls or information display units desired for use within the vehicle was difficult because of space limitations and the required attachment structure for the housing.
The above prior mirror assembly also revealed a need to incorporate the support of the light units more wholly within the mirror case so as to integrate them more pleasingly with the overall mirror design. Coupled with such desire was a need to provide improved lighting which could not only provide general light level illumination within the vehicle, but also provide specific targeted light areas for use in illumination of the console between the front seats of a vehicle, for map reading in the front seats by the driver or front passengers, and would also provide increased light intensity over prior known structures. In addition, a mirror assembly was desired which would reduce as much as possible any glare visible by the vehicle driver and prevent the visibility by the driver of any light source from the light assemblies within the structure.
The present invention was conceived as a solution for and an improvement over the above and other design limitations of prior known lighted rearview mirror structures. It was also conceived as a means for providing a basic structure which would be interchangeably fitted with various types of lights, instruments, or controls of an electronic or other nature by making relatively minor part substitutions which could be fitted within the basic mirror assembly to accommodate various vehicle designs and design concepts.